10 Ways Disney World Fans Are Wrong About Crowds
Walt Disney World crowds are controversial. But then again, isn’t everything these days?! Even though wait times at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom are what they are–60 minutes is objectively lower than 2 hours–the topic is actually more complicated than that for a few reasons.
One reason for this is that everyone has a different frame of reference or tolerance for crowds. What feels busy to me could be very different than your expectations. Even though wait times are what they are, some people may think that a day when any attraction has an hour-plus wait qualifies as a day with high crowds. (It doesn’t.)
For longtime Disney diehards, prior visits play a big role in perceptions. For longtime fans, it’s possible that to view the parks through the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia. We’ll be the first to admit that we personally do this! How long we stood in lines fades from mind over time, meaning wait times from recent trips are fresh in our memories–but only the positives from older trips remain.
Beyond this, there are also several other variables that can impact “feels like” crowds, including but not limited to festivals at EPCOT, weather, guest demographics, ride breakdowns, operational efficiency, wait times manipulation, youth sporting events, tour groups, and park operating hours. This is just a partial list, and all of those are significant variables right now.
It’s entirely possible that two families could visit during the same timeframe and have dramatically different experiences–not just differing perceptions of the same thing. Let’s say this were during Party Season, one chose park days poorly, had a more laid back approach, got stuck in lines behind youth sporting groups, and unlucky with ride breakdowns. The other chose parks wisely, followed savvy strategy to beat crowds, and got lucky with everything.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. More on this and a bunch of other factors on the list itself. Let’s dig into the ways Walt Disney World fans can be wrong about crowds–in the form of specific quotes we’ve heard, followed by our rebuttals…
“There’s No Off-Season Anymore…”
For the last decade-plus, some fans have been saying, “there’s no off-season at Walt Disney World anymore.” They said this when Magic Kingdom attendance was 18 million in 2013, in 2019 when it was 21 million, in 2021 when it was 13 million, and in 2024 when it was 18 million.
Despite the ups and downs – by several millions of guests per year (and even higher percentage changes for the other parks) – “there’s no such thing as off-season at Walt Disney World” has been a popular refrain. There are a number of reasons for this, but the operative question is whether there are currently meaningful differences in crowds and wait times over the course of the year. The answer is unequivocally yes.
The busiest days of the last year were December 28-30, all of which averaged a 60+ minute wait times across all attractions at Walt Disney World. That’s an astronomical number that easily clears the bar for a 10/10 crowd level. A wait time 10 minutes lower would still be a 10/10!
By contrast, there were multiple days in August through September 2025 that had average wait times of 20 minutes or less, which barely registers as a 1/10 crowd level. It should be fair to say that there’s a massive difference between 20 minutes and 60+ minutes.
Let’s say we throw out the extremes, and compare weeks in August and September to November. We’re still looking at a 10-20 minute difference in averages. And that’s across the board, meaning that multiplied out by a dozen attractions throughout the day, you’re looking at a difference of 2 hours spent waiting in line.
Bluntly, it’s inconsistent with reality to claim that there’s no such thing as an off-season when peak wait times can be double or triple the slow season.
“Wait Times Were Above an Hour…”
At the risk of belaboring the point, the numbers above are averages. The perpetual no or low wait attractions like Swiss Family Treehouse, Carousel of Progress, Vacation Fun, Country Bear Musical Jamboree–as well as other shows or films–are dragging down the numbers.
This means that if you’re doing only the “big” rides, your average wait time back on December 29-30 wouldn’t have been 70 minutes–it would’ve been well over 2 hours. In fact, the average wait time range for headliners on a 8/10 to 9/10 day is in that neighborhood: 90 to 120 minutes. It’s even worse on 10/10 days, nevermind 10+/10 days.
By contrast, the headliner average on 2/10 to 3/10 days is 65 to 75 minutes. That’s even as the resort-wide average is around 30 minutes. The bottom line is that below-average or low crowd levels do not mean every ride is a walk-on! You’ll still encounter long lines at TRON Lightcycle Run, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan’s Flight, Slinky Dog Dash, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Avatar Flight of Passage, etc–they just won’t be nearly as bad as during peak season. One hour is a lot less than two hours!
“We Were Packed Like Sardines for Starlight or Fireworks…”
This is accurate, unfortunately. You probably will be packed like sardines for Starlight Night Parade or Happily Ever After. Uncomfortable congestion is the not-so-new normal for fireworks at Magic Kingdom.
For the sake of illustration, let’s say that there are–on average–40,000 people in Magic Kingdom towards the end of a busy night. On a slower day, let’s say the number is 20,000 people–half the number of a busy day. Now let’s assume that 10,000 people fit on or around Main Street USA.
These are hypothetical numbers…but do you see the problem? Whether it’s a slow or busy night, the number of people wanting to see Starlight or Happily Ever After exceeds the capacity of the viewing areas on and around Main Street. One is far above capacity and the other is “only” slightly above it. Nevertheless, when a high percentage of guests in the park are concentrated into a small area of Magic Kingdom, that’s going to create crowding, regardless of whether it’s a slow or busy day as a whole.
If you visit from August through December, it’s even worse due to the Halloween and Christmas Parties reducing the number of “free” fireworks and Starlight viewings per week. It’s still a math problem, but now you’re also introducing Park Hopping and several days’ worth of demand into a single night. There already isn’t enough capacity on a regular day, now imagine doubling it.
“Magic Kingdom Was Nuts on… [Insert Day, Most Likely Monday]”
Fans underestimate just how much day of the week matters at Walt Disney World. Part of the reason the off-season is slow is because not everyone can visit when school is in session, or wants to visit when the weather is less-than-desirable.
But just about anyone can adjust their park days within the week they’re already planning on doing Walt Disney World. And few things make as much of a difference as simply shifting Magic Kingdom from a Monday to a Sunday. That alone will save you 5 minutes per attraction on average!
That may not seem like much given the above slow versus peak season contrast, but here we’re talking about one day to the next, every single week. We’re fairly confident that anyone embracing savvy strategy–like we espouse here–can easily knock out a dozen attractions a day at Magic Kingdom, meaning that 5 minutes is an hour less/more waiting in line!
Oh, and that’s also the average Sunday vs. Monday spread over the entire year. During Party Season, that spread is roughly 7-10 minutes. One of the biggest strategic blunders you can make is doing Magic Kingdom on a non-party Monday (or Wednesday and Saturday, for that matter) in November or December.
“30 Minutes of Early Entry is Useless…”
This is another one of those “burden of knowledge” scenarios. Too many Walt Disney World fans underestimate Early Entry, and are annoyed that it’s shorter than the defunct morning Extra Magic Hours. Many don’t use it at all, dismissing it as “only” 30 minutes and thus not worth the time.
To be sure, Early Entry is not that great at Magic Kingdom–at least, not unless you’re visiting on a 7:30 am start day during Party Season. That’s the one park where Lightning Lane Multi Pass makes the most sense and regular rope drop is just as good as Early Entry (maybe better). However, at 3 of the 4 parks, Early Entry is amazing.
Between it and regular rope drop, you can often accomplish and save more time than an entire day with Lightning Lanes, and without spending any extra money. We have step-by-step strategies for Early Entry and park opening in our Guide to Early Entry at Walt Disney World.
“EPCOT Was Wild on the Weekend…”
EPCOT is the biggest “local’s park” at Walt Disney World, and Floridians are more inclined to visit on Saturdays and Sundays when they’re off work or school. This is actually one scenario where fans are both wrong and right. EPCOT is wild on the weekends, or at least, it can be.
This is a scenario where analyzing wait time data can get you into trouble, as you might (incorrectly) conclude that EPCOT isn’t any worse on the weekends. That’s true from a quantitative perspective, but not from a qualitative one. Wait times don’t tell the full story–or even the main one–when it comes to EPCOT on weekends.
Since locals are less likely to do rides, they add to ‘feels like’ crowds and congestion at EPCOT on weekends without making attraction wait times noticeably worse. This is still a negative, as lines for food booths are longer and World Showcase is generally less pleasant on the weekends.
You’re also more likely to encounter groups Drinking Around the World on Saturday and Sunday, especially when UCF has away games in the fall. We have vivid (negative) memories about World Showcase feeling like an open air frat party (thankfully, this isn’t as bad as it used to be). If this is your measure of wildness, EPCOT is 100% more wild on weekends. This often does not translate to higher wait times, thankfully.
“Hotels Are Sold Out, So the Parks Must Be Crowded…”
Whenever Walt Disney World announces a new hotel or DVC resort, there’s a common complaint among fans that the parks are already too crowded. This shouldn’t bother me, as I agree with the animating idea that Disney should focus its resources on attractions and the things that make those hotels viable in the first place.
Yet I just cannot help myself, and often point out that most guests to the parks come from off-site. That Walt Disney World doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and that overall hotel inventory in Central Florida dictates crowds more than the on-site room count. That if demand for more lodging is there, someone is going to fill it. At least Disney building it provides the company with cashflow and an incentive to improve the parks.
In fact, our unpopular opinion is that Walt Disney World should build more hotels! Very few guests are taking a vacation to Central Florida on the basis of a specific hotel, nor is it what moves the needle for them in visiting the parks. All more hotel room inventory does is shift stays from off-site to on-site. More importantly, added supply puts downward pressure on prices. It’s a win-win for guests and Disney!
A similar idea applies with Walt Disney World hotel occupancy numbers.
Sold out hotels can be a sign of higher attendance, or just as easily can be a sign that there are major conventions or youth sporting events at or around Walt Disney World. Those demographics are less likely to visit the parks, so conventions or sporting events ‘blocking’ out rooms can arguably be a net positive for crowds. (Events driving up rates and reducing inventory around Central Florida–like the Pro Bowl–has the bigger impact, though.)
All of this is discussed in greater detail in Why Walt Disney World Resorts Still Sell Out Despite Lower Crowds?, but the bottom line is that hotel occupancy is not a good proxy for crowds. By its very nature, Disney Vacation Club is designed to operate at close to 100% occupancy–so no DVC resort availability is utterly meaningless.
“Lightning Lanes Are All Gone…”
This one used to apply to Advance Dining Reservations, but we’ve seen such a decrease in demand for those that there are really only a few places where it applies (Space 220 Lounge, Beak & Bar, GEO-82, Candlelight Processional Dining Packages, etc) or for larger party sizes.
Now, some fans point to the lack of Lightning Lane availability. This is actually an interesting one, because Walt Disney World made a number of changes last year around the time of switching from Genie+ to Lightning Lane Multi-Pass and Single Pass that greatly reduced Lightning Lane inventory. Not just during peak dates, but pretty much across the board. The explanations for this are multi-faceted, and we cover them at length here: Is Lightning Lane Multi Pass Still “Worth It” at Disney World?
One thing we’ll add is that the switch from free FastPass to paid Lightning Lanes has likely exacerbated this perception among longtime Walt Disney World fans. It used to be the case that everyone was able to skip the lines, and diehard WDW fans knew how to exploit the systems to their advantage. We’d now hazard a guess that those same fans are less likely to buy Lightning Lanes, meaning they are spending more time in standby lines.
This is a fair point, and it’s definitely skewed our own perceptions (and how much/little we get done in a day). The silver lining, if you’re looking for one, is that standby lines flow faster than they ever did during the FastPass+ or Genie+ eras. If you’re comparing standby lines to standby lines (as opposed to line-skipping), things have markedly improved.
“I’ve Gone This Week Every Year for a Decade…”
“…And I’ve never seen Walt Disney World this busy!” Admittedly, this one is tough to explain away. Giving people the benefit of the doubt with statements like this (which are quite common on social media), I think there are a few factors at play.
One is that now versus 2019 or earlier is not an apples to apples comparison. As mentioned above, maybe they were FastPass+ power users who refuse to buy Lightning Lanes on principle. Maybe they got really unlucky, picking to visit each park on its busiest day, getting stuck behind big groups, encountering excessive ride breakdowns, etc. Maybe they’re viewing the past through the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia, remembering the good and forgetting the bad. Maybe they’re focusing disproportionately on all of the new headliners, which do have hour-plus waits pretty much year-round.
Honestly, I don’t know how to fully explain away this. I don’t like to be dismissive, especially to fans with decades of experience, but the reality is that the numbers usually don’t support them–neither the overall attendance stats nor the year-over-year wait times. Sometimes they do, but historical crowd levels do not only go in the upward direction!
“Walt Disney World Is Dead Because [Insert Personal Politics]”
There’s no denying that we live in politically polarized times. Or that Disney and Florida have found themselves at the epicenter (no, not EPCOT Center) of the culture wars. As a result, everyone wants to project their own personal politics as the explanation for lower or higher attendance.
Actually, no, not everyone wants to do this. The average guest is not an activist. They don’t much care or won’t alter their vacation plans due to politics. There’s a lot of bluster, but it’s coming from a vocal minority and even that group’s own behavior often doesn’t match their words.
There are easily a half-dozen better explanations for Walt Disney World crowd dynamics than politics, especially since attendance trends have had ups and downs in the last couple of years. “Politics” doesn’t explain low crowds in September, but high ones come December. Unless everyone has a change of heart and gets into the spirit of the holiday season?
I’m not suggesting that politics have had zero impact on Walt Disney World attendance. I don’t doubt that some families have cancelled trips as a result of the perceived politics of Florida or Disney. We’ve heard from people who have! But to this extent this is happening, it’s occurring at the margins. Most people care more about prices than politics, and aren’t making decisions about their kids’ rite-of-passage trips based on what talking heads are yelling.
Frankly, there have been times when I’ve wanted attendance to take a hit following some of Walt Disney World’s most controversial changes. But even after they started charging for resort hotel parking, the end of Disney’s Magical Express, replacing free FastPass with paid Lightning Lanes, etc., business continued booming.
I wish some fans would’ve voted with their wallets to give Disney pause about these changes and reverse course, but I won’t confuse what I would’ve liked to see happen with what actually did. (Also, I’ll readily admit to being a hypocrite in this regard, since I did no such voting with my own wallet. Perhaps another lesson to be learned from the political controversies.)
There’s also the reality that we can look beyond Walt Disney World to see other trends happening (or not). For example, Orlando International Airport traffic has been through the roof. Occupancy tax collections have shattered records in 2025. This suggests people are not avoiding Florida as a whole. You cannot reconcile all of that via politics without Simone Biles-caliber (mental) gymnastics.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Do you agree or disagree with our assessment of Walt Disney World crowds? Think that we are actually the ones in the ‘wrong’ here, and fans who say any of the above are actually correct? Do you disagree entirely, and think Walt Disney World has been busier or less busy across the board than normal? Any other observations or explanations? Hearing your feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts or questions below in the comments!
Fireworks viewing is a zoo at Magic Kingdom – especially during party season. I think that half the problem is the castle projections. They can really only be seen from the courtyard in front of the castle or main street. So you are packing as many guests as possible in to that space. If they projected onto the sides and back of the castle as well as the front, and did some re-arranging of the excluded areas behind the castle, then I think you could create more areas for viewing, and potentially reduce the crowding in front of the castle.
I love the trees in the area in front of the castle, but they also create a lot of viewing headaches. While a bit of nature in Magic Kingdom is nice, if Imagineering could find a way to make artificial trees that collapse on demand before the show times, that could do wonders for the sight lines in that area, and open up more viewing around ye olde christmas shop and the entrance to tomorrow land.
Totally agree.
I also think that way too much emphasis is placed on projections–by both Disney and guests. Fireworks from Fantasyland are more enjoyable than from MSUSA at this point, and you really are not missing much without the projections.
Another solution would be doing what Disneyland does with projections on the facade of “it’s a small world” and the Rivers of America–but I’m not sure where this could be done at Magic Kingdom to achieve similar results.
I have talked to people about their Walt Disney World trips for decades. The once consistency is those who don’t do any planning are research are the ones who always say, “Never again! It was so hot! It was so crowded! The lines were so long! The restaurants were all booked! And it was so expensive. Never again!”.
These people are typically from middle America and assume Disney parks are just more expensive versions of their local Six Flags. So, they book a trip in mid-summer. They look at the Disney web site and say, “No way am I paying that to stay in a Disney resort!”. So they stay off site where they think they are saving so much money, but paying for parking and a rental car. They get up on a park day, get the kids ready and have a leisurely breakfast at the hotel restaurant or a local restaurant. They drive to the Walt Disney World area, wait in a long line of cars to park, board a tram and eventually get to the park around 10:30 AM. They get into the park and have no idea what to do first. They pull out their phones, launch the Disney app and get the proverbial furrowed brow and they try to take it all in. Meanwhile, the crowds are continuing to grow. By the time they decide to try Seven Dwarfs Mine train, for example, there’s a 90 minute wait.
After their first ride, the kids are ready for lunch. But where? They look for the proverbial burger, dog and chicken finger counter and are astonished to see such long lines there as well; more wasted time. And now it’s hot; really hot. Southerners would be accustomed to this, but not people from Sheboygan. Everyone is already tired, but they don’t want to leave the park and repeat the commuting and parking routine again. They stay in the park and continue to feel even more uncomfortable and become even more tired.
After multiple days of this routine, they’ve had it. TBack home they tell all their friends and family what a miserable experience it was. hey can’t wait share an angry screed on social media. “But it was all for the kids” they say. And they shake their heads because they just can’t understand why so many people keep going to Walt Disney world.
When those kids grow up, someone might ask them if they’ve bee to Walt Disney World. “I went once”, they will say. “I remember it being really hot an crowded, but that’s all.” Bummer.
This is way too accurate.
It’s really unfortunate to hear stories like this, but at the same time, it’s also what makes beating crowds possible for those of us who put in a bit of effort.
Not sure if you touched on this and I missed it, but here’s another perception issue that I think might apply for many of us: My wife and I are getting older, and our tolerance for the crowds has reduced significantly. This makes our perception of the crowds much worse even if they are actually the same as before.
This is a really great and interesting point.
People think of Disney Adults as (mostly) childless millennials, but there’s also a huge fanbase of baby boomers who have grown up with the parks. I would hazard a guess that there are many like you, who simply do not have the same tolerances for crowds that they once did.
I went last year between Christmas and New Years and can attest it is busier than other times. But it was still fun, my nephews and I rope dropped a few times which helped a ton.
Also went in early October for a short weekend and Epcot was kind of miserable on the weekend. The line for the Gran Fiesta boat ride ended outside the pyramid to put it in to perspective (for those that don’t know this is often walk on). This was a trip with my boyfriend however and we prioritized sleeping in a bit and meeting up with a CM friend for breakfast. If I had to go again over the weekend to Epcot I would rope drop, then leave mid day and then come back in the evening. It would have made it a lot more pleasant.
I used to obsessively plan around crowd calendars, but now I just go when it works best for others I’m traveling with. There are still always ways to enjoy yourself, get to the attractions you want and avoid crowds, even on the busiest days. This blog definitely helps with those things 🙂
Not directly related, but with holiday crowds, how far ahead could we arrive at MCO for our flight home Dec 21? I figured since you’ve flown in and out of there many times during the holidays, you would have a good gauge on that. Our car service is picking us up in time to be there 2.5 hours prior, but curious if I should try to allocate more.
If you don’t have Pre-check then use MCO reserve (free) to book a security screening time. https://flymco.com/mcoreserve/
Tom, I’m confused: How are Walt Disney World fans wrong in thinking they’re packed like sardines for the fireworks? Are you just saying they’re wrong to think it could ever be otherwise?
They’re not wrong that they’re packed like sardines for fireworks. They are almost certainly are right, on just about any day of the year.
They’re wrong to conclude crowd levels were 10/10 or that they visited during a “busy time” because the fireworks viewing areas were packed. They’re always packed. It’s sadly the new normal. Magic Kingdom should do 2 fireworks showings on busier days, and have evening entertainment counterprogramming.
Thanks for clarifying; I agree.
I think we also need to add to the discussion the way the parks feel crowded now despite low ride wait times. When secondary attractions are closed and various rooms in quick-serve restaurants are closed, it leads to the feeling of being packed in–which alters your view of how crowded it is. I love (RIP!) Restarantoaurus (not exactly for the food, mind you) but for the attention to detail. During my last four trips, half of the restaurant has been closed. So now everyone is sitting on top of each other instead of being able to spread out and have some space, some quiet, and some elbow room. 2020 is in the rear-view mirror but Disney is holding on to this type of shrinkflation and you feel it.
I think the issue with assessing crowds is that the human brain is not designed well to measure complex systems like crowds objectively. While the general public may have some rudimentary understanding of basic statistics, it’s often not understood well and how to put your own observations into perspective. So I think much of this comes back to individual perception and the various psychological factors that are messing with all of us.
For example, things that go against norms or expectations stick out more. Memories of past crowds are likely biased as we remember things differently based on their importance. Or expectations attached to terms lets us judge reality differently. Like hearing of low-crowds or off-season might create expectations of ghost towns. So when there are still people in the parks (although much smaller crowds), the take-away is that it is crowded. More so than if there were no expectations.
Obviously, “there’s no off-season” is silly as that would imply perfectly even attendance all year. I wouldn’t be surprised if people saying that also agreed with Christmas/New Year’s as the busy time at Disney…
Of course there’s an off season. I’m a local. I use it. I also know the holidays bring more visitors to the parks.
I had the cheerleader encounter this spring on Everest at Animal Kingdom. The ride broke down and the girls lost it. Some even cried. I’ll never forget it.
I think social media plays a large part in perception, especially when someone posts a photo on how “dead the park is.” The problem is I’ve been there on some of those days. It’s easy to get that photo early in the morning in certain areas because the crowds are just filtering through the gates or clustered at the main rides. Come 10-11 o’clock, that all changes. Same goes for taking a photo of a large crowd in a bottleneck area or in front of a downed ride.
Your last paragraph nails it. People expect “dead” to mean one thing, and are disappointed when they aren’t the only ones walking down Main Street.
Personally, this September’s slowness is about the lowest crowds I want to see. I lived through the second half of 2020 in Florida. I have no desire to go back to that level of the parks being “dead.” They need a certain level of attendance (IMO) to make them feel alive and full of energy. Just not cheerleader energy. 😉
An area where crowds always seem the same to me (even if it’s but an illusion) is not so much gauged on queue length but just navigating my way through the crowds. It can be just as hectic and stressful a thing as all that waiting to get on a popular ride. It seems I’m always in danger of ramming into some other pedestrian. Or when I try to cross over a pathway to get to the other side, people walking up it won’t pause to let me buy but continue walking full speed like they’re willing to run me over. I guess it’s a case where both sides have be aggressive, and either they or me could complain, like Phil in “Hercules”, “Hey, I’m walkin’ here!”
I have a theory on this:
“I’VE GONE THIS WEEK EVERY YEAR FOR A DECADE…”
The regular visitor may be more likely to dismiss and skip older (low wait time) attractions. While definitely focusing more on “what’s new.”
If you get in line for Tron and Bayou Adventure, but skip Big Thunder Mountain and Space… the lines will feel longer.
If you’re skipping Space Tours in favor of Rise of the Resistance…
If you’ve decided that you don’t ever need to do Carousel of Progress and Philharmagic again,
I suspect many regular repeat visitors may be more apt to skip some of the low hanging fruit. We don’t all love the People Mover.
That’s a good theory.
Similarly, I’d also imagine there’s more of a tendency to slow down and be less aggressive with rope drop and strategy once you’ve been X times (at least for most guests). Diminishing returns and all that. So if you’re mentally comparing wait times and crowds at 10 am vs. 9 am on a past trip because you slept in this time, that’s also not apples to apples.
Speaking from experience — since going more often as DVC members — totally true. We haven’t done rope drop at all the last 2 trips. Secure in the knowledge, “what’s the rush, we will be back next year anyway.”
Rewind 13 years, we were the first people at the DHS turnstiles ready for the stampede to TSM.
“10+/10 days” immediately made me think of Spinal Tap. Do we need “These go to 11” crowd days for Christmas week?
I wonder if ride downtime plays a part. It most definitely did for us. We were able to do more in June 2022 than June 2024 and it was mostly because of ride downtime making a total mess of the parks. I had thought we were very unlucky until weeks afterwards when I read your take on the matter and learned that it’s another ‘new normal’.
Great insights, Tom. I think the pain factor has less to do with actual crowd sizes and more to do with the following:
1. Complexity. In the old, old days, you picked your week, booked a room and flew down to Orlando. If there were crowds when you got there, oh well! That’s how it goes in Disney World. Be sure to hit that Disney Dining button on your room phone as soon as you wake up, because you want to be able to get a table somewhere in Epcot today. As advanced booking tools have evolved in tandem with access to expert advice (see this blog), access to restaurants, rides and experiences has become on par with a bloodsport. SO much mental energy and anxiety goes into the effort to book your desired vacation outcomes that you’re emotionally experiencing “crowds” 60+ days prior to arrival.
2. Oligarchy – Lotal Disney fans may have bemoaned every single evolution of MyDisneyExperience, virtual queues, ADR windows, etc, but we lived in a Meritocracy. Being a loyal fan, doing your homework, waking up early and just generally putting the work in was rewarding. Sure, you spent hours per week digesting blogs, vlogs, and Allears menu listings, but when it was time, you breezed into your ADR while sympathetically rolling your eyes at the Dad asking the hostess whether his walk up party of 8 could be seated at Cinderella’s Royal Table. Today there is this overwhelming sense that there are THOUSANDS of rich people breezing by you with their plaid-vested guides or paid Lightening Lane plus access. If they didn’t have so much more money than us, we’d all be boarding this ride RIGHT now. (Besides, they don’t even care about this ride. They’re only in it for the Insta pic!). It’s been hashed and rehashed here and elsewhere, but it really feels like Disney should be doing more to preserve that sense of connection that their most dedicated customers have felt through the years. Today’s profit may come at the expense of stability through the next version of a GFC. (Or probably not. Disney seems to land on their feet time and again.)
These are two really fantastic points that cut directly to the ‘why’ of this–and I’d strongly agree with both.
“Too online” or just the internet, generally, is probably an outgrowth of the first point. A common reaction to our crowd reports from Aug/Sept off-season vs. fall break about one month later has been “make up your mind, are crowds low or high?” Of course, we don’t determine crowd levels. But people are digesting a lot of info from the internet, including what they perceive as conflicting reports…even when they aren’t.
The “there’s no slow times anymore” canard is the one that’s the most personally irritating to me because people online continue to parrot it in the face of all kinds of data and my own extensive experience going in May and Labor Day bears that out.
Right?!
Of all of these, that’s probably the one that drives me the most crazy. If the people saying that visited around both Labor Day and Christmas/NYE (or even Labor Day and Fall Break!), they would realize that the two holidays are very, very different crowds-wise.
We are going to be there starting May 11th, and I was hoping we could avoid buying LL’s and I keep hearing that it isn’t a good idea and we’ll be sorry we didn’t get them. We are in the parks (with park hopper tickets that we may or may not use) for 6 days with two older teens. Would you recommend LLs for MK, which we are planning to go to on Sunday (Mothers Day) and Wed (to take advantage of extended evening hrs)?
I’ve heard that this is supposed to be a low crowd week, which is why we booked it. But, yes I’m hearing the same feedback – there is no such thing as low crowds.
Thanks for the advice in advance!
Pretty please post a guide to surviving crazy busy weeks such as a visit that goes through Christmas Day (but not after). Are suggested park days the same? Does Multipass plus single pass need to be purchased for anything we want to ride? We are a family of five and these extra get expensive so quickly!
Good news–we have that, tailored for Thanksgiving, Christmas & NYE! Just published this a few weeks ago: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/best-strategy-high-crowds-avoid-disney-world/
Have fun!
Thanks for the good explanation of how park attendance works in real life. As a website scalability and performance consultant, I have to explain similar concepts every day. The usual response is “but the knob goes to 11”, so it takes a lot of patience.
It’s frustrating there aren’t hard numbers on park attendance, which would make your job a lot easier. Wait times are only a proxy, but its the best we’ve got.
Perhaps “someone” should create the “Fortune 500” of Disney rides, a wait time index for only the E-ticket rides? That way people would have a way of judging wait times unpolluted by rides with almost no wait times.
Stuck behind thousands of cheerleaders! Oh the horror.
I’m impressed with how dedicated you are to your craft. I don’t think I truly understood the suffering you go through on a day to day basis.
I suspect we both married former cheerleaders. Just a guess.
Will be there Dec 22nd to Jan 1st. Will let you know how the crowds are and especially the cheerleaders.